Switch heater



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Jliimimgg E. B. KEIM SWITCH HEATER March 26, 1929,

Filed Sept. 13, 1928 Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES ELISHA B. KEIM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH HEATER.

Application filed September 13, 1928. Serial No. 305,634.

My invention relates to railway switch heaters for use in keeping exposed switch rails adequately free from ice and snow so as to be reliably operable at all times.

A purpose of my invent on 1s to provide inexpensive means for ad u stably and removably mounting an electric heater ad]acent the web of a switch rail 1n a way that willlet the heater effectively transmit 1ts heat to the rail.

A further purpose is to removably clamp an electric heater to a switch rail by spaced clamp members underneath the rall head.

A further purpose is to mount an electric l5 heater member upon a heat casing includ ng an insulating sheet that fits along a portion of the rail between opposing head and foot surfaces thereof, presents the heater along the rail web and is preferably provided wlth end flaps closing the space between the ends of the sheet and the rail, thus shutting the heater into a fairly tight chamber between the rail and sheet.

A further purpose is to enclose an electric switch heater by a heat insulated sheet that is carried upon clamps and held to place without the aid of screws or bolts.

Further purposes will appear 1n the specification and in the claims.

I have elected to show one main form only of my invention with a minor modlficatlon, selecting a form that is practlcal and eflicient in operation and which well illustrates the principles involved.

Figure 1 is a perspectIve assembly V ew showing structure embodying my lnventlon applied to a stock rail, by wh ch I refer to the rail against which the switch ra1l rests in closed position. I

Figure 2 is a vertical sectlon taken upon the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectlon corresponding generally to Figure 2 but showing a somewhat different form.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectlonal plan view taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 2.

Like numerals refer to like parts in all figures.

Describing in illustration and not in lim- 5 itation and referring to the drawings My invention is directed to the mounting of an electric heater upon a stock rail or other part of the track structure of which the stock rail will here be considered to be 5 representative for preventing the snow and ice of winter storms from affecting the oertainty of operation of the switch.

My device is a composite unit, made up to any desired length, to be put on and taken off as a unit, and includes a heat insulating sheet 11 adapted to fit along a portion of the rail between the headand foot surfaces thereof, turned in at the ends at 12 and 13 against the rail web, presenting a heat element 14 along and closely adjacent to the rail web, and removably held and locked to place b spaced spring clamp members 15 under t c rail.

The heat element 14 is suitably supported. In the form shown it has been convenient to support it from the casing sheet 11 by suitable brackets 17 and 18. Its electric terminals 19 and 20 are connected by conductor wires 21 and 22 through an outlet fitting gw and conduit 24 to any suitable source of current, not shown.

The heat element 1 1 may be of any suitable type and in Figures 1 and 2 the illustration of this element is therefore intended for a conventional indication for any suitable heater.

Preferably the heat element should direct its radiant heat against the adjacent rail surface and be adapted to prevent heat passage outwardly toward the shcet member 11, and in Figure 3 I, therefore, show the element as including resistance coils 25 presented toward the rail web 26 and protected from heat transmission away from the rail by heat insulation 27 and a metal cover 28 polished on its exposed surface to make a poor heat radiator In a direction away from the rail web.

In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 the heat-insulating sheet 11 is a composite sheet and may comprise a sheet of galvanized iron 29 and an insulating lining 30 of asbestos fastened to the inside of the sheet 29, which is shown turned up at 31 to clamp the bottom edge of the asbestos lining.

I may increase the effectiveness with which the member 11 resists outward transmission of heat by providin an inwardly directed heat reflecting sur ace inside the asbestos lining and I have illustrated this in Figure 4 where the composite sheet 11 includes a sheet member 29 that is bent up from the bottom back of the asbestos sheet of insulation which is thus between the spaced metal sheets.

' to place and yet-.adapt it to relatively easy removal by )ushin'g down the s ring hooks 32 until thelr upwardly extending lugs 33 are low enough to pass across the bottom of the rail flanges.

'The spring members are suitably bowed or goose-necked at 34 to increase their adaptation to spring deflection. and have a diagonally upwardly extending portion 35 across the outer face of thesheet 11 to which they tened. y

In operation the deviceis normally installed before cold weather at different exposed switch rails that need to be heated during winter storms and may referably be left in place throughout t e winter months.

Wheneverweather conditions are such as to make it advisable to rotect the switches 'fromsnow or ice the ifi'erent heaters at the switches are energized from a suitable source of current and sufliciently heat up the adjacent switch rails to maintain the freedom of switch movement that would otherwise be endangered or prevented by the snow or ice.

The presence of the heater avoids the necessity for workmen at the individual switches during such storms, and goes far toward eliminating the great expense and inconvenience that in the past has resulted from a necessity to maintain the exposed switches free from snow and ice during winter storms.

In view of my invention and disclosure variation and modifications to meet individ-' ual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what i I claim as new and desire to secure by Letter's Patent is:

1. A railroad switch including a rail and are riveted or otherwise fas heater and clamp means for removably enan electric heater removably clamped to the 00 rail and free from rail alteration 2. A railroad switch including a rail and an electric heater removably clamped about the flanges of the rail.

3. A railroad switch including a rail, an electric heater, a heat insulating casing adapted to fit along a portion of the rail between the flange and head of the rail engaging with the rail to enclose the heater and clamp means beneath and about .the rail flanges fastening the casing to place.

4. A railroad switch including a rail, an insulation sheet, spaced V-ehimps adapted to extend under and clamp back of the rail to hold the sheet in place between the flange and foot of'the rail and an electric heater adjacent to the rail web and between it and the sheet.

5. A railroad switch including a rail, an electric heater presenting a heat element toward the rail flange and rearwardl surfaced to prevent outward radiation o heat, an insulation casing, enclosing the heater between the rail and casing and united to the gaging the rail flange to hold the parts in position.

6. A railroad switch including a rail spaced V-clamps adapted to latch across and under the rail flange and having diagonally upward and inwardly extending arms that mount the heater.

7. A railroad rail which is intended to be heated, a metallic casing adapted to be fastened to the rail and comprisin a lon itudinally extending member reac ing mm a point beneath the head to a point near the outer flange edge, ends extending from the member transversely to close oil a compartment upon one side of the rail, an electric 1 0 heater within the com artment and nearer to the rail web than to t e longitudinally extending member and means for holding the member and heater in position against the rail.

8. A switch rail, a longitudinally extendingsheet of material slo ing diagonally between the rail head an the outer art of the rail flange, inwardly turned en s from the sheet conforming generally to the contour of the rail side to form a casing, an electric heater supported from the casing and nearer to the web of the rail than to the sheet, connections for suppl ing electricity to the heater and cli s hol ing the casing 116 and heater to the rail anges.

ELISHA B. KEIM. 

